Comments Off on Made from sewage, these "popsicles" reveal the scale of Taiwan’s water pollution

We wouldn’t eat these “popsicles” if we were you. Concocted by Hung I-chen, Guo Yi-hui and Cheng Yu-ti, a group of students from National Taiwan University of the Arts , the frozen treats comprise sewage from 100 different locations across the East Asian island nation. Hung and company froze their samples—bottle caps, plastic wrappers, and all—to illustrate the scope of Taiwan’s water-pollution problem. To preserve their creations, they dipped the popsicles in a polyester resin. They even designed wrappers for each frozen non-treat based on the locations they sampled from. Unappetizing “flavors” include “Yang-tzu-chou Drainage,” “The Large Ditch in Tianwei,” and “New Huwei Creek.” Related: Residents go nearly two weeks without safe drinking water in this Texas town Hung said they chose to make the popsicles to illustrate the importance of clean water. (Popsicles are, after all, mostly H2O.) “They’re made out of sewage, so basically these things can only be seen, not eaten,” Hung told Mashable . “[Having] pure water, a clean water source is actually very important.” + Polluted Water Popsicles Via Quartz A post shared by ??? (@yongbin.zhou) on May 25, 2017 at 6:45am PDT

Comments Off on 98-year-old man donates $2 million in stock for 395-acre wildlife refuge

98-year-old Russ Gremel purchased $1,000 of stock in a pharmacy chain around 70 years ago. That chain was Walgreens, and Gremel’s small investment made him rich. But instead of using that money for himself, he decided to donate all of his stock to the Illinois Audubon Society , and they’re putting it to good use in the 395-acre Gremel Wildlife Sanctuary to protect wetlands in Amboy, Illinois . Decades ago Gremel bought $1,007 of stock in Walgreens on his brother’s advice to invest in drugstores, as people would always need medicine and women would always buy makeup. Then Walgreens exploded, and Gremel could have cashed out for millions of dollars. But he didn’t want to keep the money, telling the Chicago Tribune he’s a simple man who likes to eat stew and oatmeal and last drove a 25-year-old Dodge. Related: Colorful Hawai’i Wildlife Center Protects and Rehabilitates Endangered Species on the Big Island The Gremel Wildlife Sanctuary is home to around 200 bird species, rare turtles , and over 400 plant species. The Illinois Audubon Society was able to purchase the land with money from Gremel and a grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, as well as their own funds. Gremel had planned to leave his stock to the Illinois Audubon Society, but then decided to give it away while he was still living so he could see the property they’d buy with it. That property doubles the area of wetlands protected in Amboy. Gremel said in a video he wanted to use the money to do good in the world. “That’s what money is for,” he said. “If you can’t do good with it, don’t have it.” He considers nature to be incredibly important; he grew up hiking and camping and then was a scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America for over 60 years. Illinois Audubon Society Executive Director Jim Herkert told the Chicago Tribune of Gremel’s donation, “It’s allowing us to protect a really valuable and important piece of property and fulfill one of Russ’ wishes that we could find a place where people could come out and experience and enjoy nature the way he did as a kid.” Via the Chicago Tribune , SaukValley.com , and EcoWatch Images via screenshot

Comments Off on Environmentalists question ‘worrisome’ NYC plan to pour chlorine in sewers

Every year around 20 billion gallons of untreated sewage streams into the waterways of New York City during overwhelming rainfalls. Attempting to stave off health risks, the city has a plan: pour chlorine into sewer pipes. But environmental advocates say the technique is shortsighted and worrisome. The city has attempted a few fixes to the issue, such as new retention tanks and greenery planted to reduce runoff. Now they want to disinfect wastewater inside pipes with chlorine; those pipes lead to three bodies of water in the Bronx and Queens . Riverkeeper staff lawyer Sean Dixon told The New York Times, “They’re using the most worrisome and unproven technique that we have in our toolbox. It’s like they’re grabbing the last straw and using the cheapest and least effective method.” Related: Danish city becomes world’s first to power water treatment plant with sewage Dixon said chlorine sometimes doesn’t even disinfect sewage completely, and doesn’t treat certain toxins. Further, residual chlorine can harm marine life . Chlorination is commonly utilized in wastewater treatment plans, not pipes that run into waterways. New York City Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Ted Timbers said chlorine is “the most widely used disinfectant for water and wastewater treatment in the U.S.” He said the plan had been talked about in meetings with the public, and that chlorination would occur from May to October. Queens College hydrologist Timothy Eaton said chlorine can be effective in controlled settings, but with unpredictable changes in sewage flow, residual chlorine could be left behind and the exact dosage would be tricky to get right. He told The New York Times, “It’s very difficult to predict the amount of water you’re going to get at any period of time. If you overdose it, you’re basically treating Flushing Creek and Flushing Bay like swimming pools .” Via The New York Times Images via Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons

Comments Off on Bill Gates drinks water made from sewer sludge via the Omniprocessor

In his quest to help save the planet, Bill Gates has literally tasted the next evolution in waste water technology—drinking water recycled from human waste. Gates visited the Omniprocessor, a new machine that can turn sewage into drinking water, and posted a video of his first sip on his blog GatesNotes . Check it out below: Read the rest of Bill Gates drinks water made from sewer sludge via the Omniprocessor Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: bill gates , clean water access , developing countries , drinking water , gates foundation , Janicki Bioenergy , Omniprocessor , sewage , sewer , wastewater , water issues

Comments Off on New plastic recycling process uses no water and cuts costs in half

A Mexico-based tech company says it can recycle more than 90 percent of any type of plastic without using water. The new method also reduces costs by half without suffering any loss in quality, representing what could be a revolutionary development for the recycling industry. This green technology can also be used to recycle materials that currently go into landfills, such as styrofoam and polystyrene—both of which take more than 500 years to biodegrade. Read the rest of New plastic recycling process uses no water and cuts costs in half Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: cost reduction , energy conservation , mexico , plastic , plastics , polystyrene , recycling , recycling method , styrofoam , water conservation , water issues

Comments Off on Flush Your Kids Down the Toilet in a New Exhibition in Japan

The new “Toilet? – Human Waste & Earth’s Future” exhibition at Miraikan in Japan lets visitors experience what it’s like when their lives are going down the toilet . The creative exhibition invites kids to get flushed, by climbing a flight of stairs to the porcelain throne and sliding down the tubes to enter. To top it all off, each kid is given a poop hat, to crown them on their journey to learn about what happens to human waste . Read the rest of Flush Your Kids Down the Toilet in a New Exhibition in Japan Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: eco design , green design , human waste , Japan , Miraikan , Miraikan Museum , poop exhibition , sewage , sustainable design , Toilet- Human Waste & Earth’s Future , waste treatment , water issues